Non-Weekly Cucumber Salad #10 đ„
Contents
a) The Cucumber Salad Skincare Research Institute on why you should stop using harsh cleansers
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a) The Cucumber Salad Skincare Research Institute on why you should stop using harsh cleansers
I spent my teenage years plagued by blackheads on my forehead. In part because of the natural oil production exacerbation of teenage hood, but largely because of the tacky bangs I used to wear on my face back on the day.
On the late 2000âs advice on skincare was extremely precarious. I remember being instructed to use this popular cleanser called Actine (salicylic and sulfuric acid cleanser) as the only ingredient in my routine.
I remember vividly the feeling of waking up every morning with a glossy and thick layer of oil on my forehead and washing it off with Actine, that would leave me with a pulling-stinging dry face. Almost as if the surface of my skin was made of rubber.
Later, I learned that Actine never stopped me from continuing to cultivate blackheads between my eyebrows, and maybe even further deepened the damage that was being caused, mainly, by my terrible hairstyle decisions.
Iâm writing this essay because I want to share the aspect of my skincare experience related to cleansers. How they came from being a neglected part of my routine to an essential tool in preparing and keeping the skin soft and balanced.
How my skin and routine were đč
I used to have what people usually call âcombination skinâ with an oily T-zone. Nowadays I prefer to understand skin as balanced and unbalanced. My skin was unbalanced because of my hair oils constantly flooding my forehead and clogging my pores.
As the rest of my skin didnât receive any of these hair oils, my cheeks and chin were quite balanced, and maybe even a little bit dry.
When I was a teenager, my routine consisted on using Actine twice a day (morning and night). Not much changed once I started to get interested in skincare. I used to think about cleansers as âthe cheapest and least important part of your routine because itâs only going to be on your face for 30 secondsâ, and part of that is true.
Itâs definitely not useful to buy cleansers that promise long-lasting effects, such as cleansers with vitamin C, because all those actives are going to be washed off and never have the opportunity to actually act on your skin. My mistake was that I used to follow a mindset where I needed to use a harsh, deep cleanser in order to set the skin as a blank canvas to start layering the products.
Itâs easy for people to overlook how much trouble I got my skin into when I was first stepping my toes into skincare. I remember experimenting with a few popular harsh acid cleansers like Normaderm, and Actine Control for a while, and when I mixed that with a harsh acid toner I developed strawberry nose.
I used to give importance to hyped ingredients that promise vague improvements, such as vitamin C, and strong acids and not really pay attention to what my skin was telling me: I want to be balanced.
Learning lessons đŠ đ§«đ§Ș
I started working at this cosmetics company as a social media content creator, and I remember being very interested in the talks we would receive about the new products being released, that was the best part of the whole job.
The formulators would give the whole communication team extensive keynotes on the formulation, action and benefits of the products, and compare them to other similar options in the market. During that period I learned a lot about skincare and skin balance.
What is important to understand is that each formula (toner, essence, sĂ©rum, gel cream, butter creamâŠ) has a capacity of penetration in the skin, and certain ingredients act better when having access to deeper layers of the skin, while others should stay on the surface.
A good example is hyaluronic acid, while many big brands like La Roche Posay were advertising âlow molecule hyaluronic acidâ, few costumers know that hyaluronic acid (when not injected) should actually rest on top of the skin because itâs keeping it from losing moisture. Another aspect of hyaluronic acid is that if it penetrates too deep into the skin it actually has the potential of causing irritations and outbreaks.
Another important lesson I learned was about the good oils of the skin, and how acids act on them. Basically, the skin produces a bunch of oils in order to keep itself balanced, and when you use acid treatments all of natural skin oils are removed.
Some of these oils are responsible for generating acne, but others are actually important to keep the skin soft and protected. That means that if you donât recover those with sĂ©rums, essences, and moisturisers the skin will produce more oil in order to recover what was removed.
That means that having oily skin, and cleaning it with harsh cleansers is a vicious cycle. As I said, the skin doesnât want to be dry, it wants to be balanced. Administrating a routine with acids on different formulas will make your skin poor in oils, vulnerable, dull, and fragile.
That being said, acids are hyped. There are ingredients that make an oil administration of the skin instead of just wiping all of their oils off that can be much more interesting to use than acids, but theyâre more expensive and demand more skilled formulators, so theyâre not so available in the western market.
A great example of an oil-balancing ingredient is niacinamide. I currently use a niacinamide night mask twice a month and it gives me an unmatched glow in the morning.
Making changes
I decided to start a routine with a mild cleanser a few years ago. I elected the Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser by COSRX and I was immediately shocked with how soft my skin became. At night I adopted the double cleansing routine, and Iâm still a great fan of this technique. I use the super famous Banila Clean It Zero oil cleanser.
Using an oil cleanser is very important because dissolves all of the oil buildup on the surface of your skin, and thanks to the texture of the formula, thereâs very little friction with the skin, which makes it a very light cleaning process. I highly recommend oil cleansers as make-up removers, specially for people who use full-face makeup.
Following with a mild water-based cleanser can guarantee that the skin will be deeply clean, but still soft and moisturised.
I also decided to invest in moisturising my skin much more than exfoliating it. Making acid applications lighter and more sporadic, and incorporating rich moisturisers, moisturising sérums, and oils.
Harvesting the glowing fruits đ§Žđ
The pool of oil on my forehead dried out. I started to wake up with a soft face. The oily and dry areas got even and now I have what I consider to be a balanced skin.
I really value the feeling of washing my face and feeling it soft and moist after rinsing my cleanser. I have many cleansers and none of them are stripping or have acids, and when I want a deeper cleansing I make a clay mask.
Clay masks are literally like magnets that suck the gunk from your pores and can be very useful, as long as you moisturise your skin properly afterwards.
Giving proper attention to cleansers was an essential part of what made my current skincare so consistently good. A few weeks ago I decided to ask my friends on Instagram about their cleansers and, to my not surprise, most people still use harsh acid-based cleansers.
Do you want some advice?
I decided to select a few answers from my Instagram friends and give some free cleansing advice in order to help others make more sense of their skincare routine.
To the huge number of answers I got from people saying they use Normaderm, Effaclair and other âanti oilâ cleansers: Strip all your oils at your own risk, just donât forget to moisturise your skin afterwards with different formulas. You need a moisturising toner, sĂ©rum, and cream in order to properly help your skin recover from all the oils you have removed with those cleansers. Otherwise you're just engaging on a vicious cycle of forcing your skin to produce more oils after being washed.
I would honestly recommend switching to a mild cleanser, and administering acids a few times a week in order to control excess oil and sebum instead of stripping your skin of all of the oils it produces.
To my friend uses neutral baby soap: youâre an icon! Baby skincare products are amazing because theyâre so kind to the skin and everyone can benefit from using them.
To the AvĂ©ne Cleanance Teamâą: I think this product is really special because its a deep cleanser but at the same time itâs very kind on the skin and is suitable for the most sensitive types. Still requires some moisturising afterwards tho.
To the person using the Bepanthol dry skin cleanser: panthenol and vitamin B are amazing ingredients and I believe they're welcome in any routine. I actually trust Bepanthol with my life and I'm curious about trying this product.
To the oligarch who uses the Caudalie foam cleanser: I believe cleansers deserve attention, but they can easily be the cheapest part of your routine because itâs easy to find accessible mild cleansers. That being said, I doubt there are other products on the market as good as Caudalieâs. Their products are the shit and Iâll be testing your cleanser when I visit your house.
To the person who uses the sulfur cleanser and alternates between glycolic acid cleanser and green clay: youâre over-cleansing your skin. Unless youâre making use of a very rich moisturising routine I would stop that cleansing routine immediately and focus on nourishing the skin instead of stripping it. Try to only use the green clay only once a month or less.
With love đžđ,
Ana Luisa